Which to use
“mérito” and “México” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,324
- “mérito” frequency rank
- #1,123
- “México” frequency rank
- 6447
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mérito | México |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | conjunto de características que distinguem algo ou alguém como bom e apreciável: | país da América do Norte, localizado ao sul dos Estados Unidos da América e ao norte da Guatemala e do Belize, sendo que sua capital é a Cidade do México |
Where the eye mixes mérito and México
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. mérito and México follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: mérito vs México
A purely visual mix-up. mérito (/ˈmɛ.ɾi.tu/) and México (/ˈmɛ.ʃi.ku/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6447, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mérito is recorded at frequency rank #5,324, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɛ.ɾi.tu/. México is at rank #1,123, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɛ.ʃi.ku/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 6447, this pair ranks #67,988 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mérito vs México
Shared letters: imoé. Private to "mérito": rt. Private to "México": cx.
"mérito" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "México" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mérito" and "México" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mérito" or "México"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mérito" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "México" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #67,988 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mérito" and "México" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "meigo vs mérito". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #67,988 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.